The WNBA is in its superteam era
The GIST: The real housewives free agents of the WNBA woke up and chose glorious chaos on Wednesday, ringing in free agency with two new superteams and a whole lot of drama.
The latest: After weeks of speculation, emoji queen Breanna Stewart revealed that she’s joining the NY Liberty, suiting up alongside fellow league MVP Jonquel Jones, who signed last month.
- But wait, there’s more. Yesterday, Chicago Sky veteran Courtney Vandersloot said, “it’s me, hi, I’m the primary source,” announcing that she’s also Big Apple–bound. The Libs now boast a starting five that likely includes Stewie, Jones, Sloot and 2020 No. 1 draft pick Sabrina Ionescu. Jaw = dropped.
- The other team stacking up stars? The reigning champion Las Vegas Aces. They added two-time MVP Candace Parker along with two-time champ Alysha Clark, pairing the playmakers with last year’s core. Should we just schedule the final now?
The on-court impact: Good luck to everyone else, but especially the Sky. Four major Chicago stars have left in the last week: Parker, Vandersloot, Azurá Stevens for the LA Sparks and Allie Quigley, who is taking this season off but not retiring.
- As for the other nine teams, some, like the Phoenix Mercury, are building around their already-established stars. But the Mercury are in for a challenge after Kia Nurse announced yesterday that she won’t be returning to the organization. The intrigue.
Zooming out: There’ll be debate over how this superteam era might impact the league, but one thing’s for sure — it’s already driving hype across the W and beyond. And with promises of expansion on the horizon, there’s no time like the present to actually meet a deadline.
